


Admittedly

by risquetendencies



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: F/M, birthday gift for Pancake, drabble set fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-03
Updated: 2013-05-03
Packaged: 2017-12-10 07:38:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/783499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/risquetendencies/pseuds/risquetendencies





	Admittedly

**.**

.

**STILL**

He stepped into the cabin, closing the door softly behind him. It made little to no sound, and so he relaxed when he surveyed her, still fast asleep on the mattress laid out on the floor. A fan was blowing softly across the region of her forehead, attempting to assuage her fevered condition. Good. He did not wake her, not yet. It was silent as death in the place, if one would pardon his ill choice of expressions. Their furry companion had trundled off somewhere else, as he'd asked him to.

It was a rare moment they had time to themselves, let alone one where they weren't working, or fighting, or carrying on. Just a peaceful stretch of time wherein he could soak her in to give him something to get by. He didn't think she felt quite the way he did, so these moments were important.

He lowered himself onto his knees beside the makeshift bed, scooting to one end of it. Using his arms, he pulled her into a half sitting, half laying position against his chest, hands curled around her abdomen. Sleeping so soundly, she didn't wake at all, still lost somewhere in her dreams. An errant thought appeared in his mind, questioning what she dreamed of. She had never told him, aside from work or wealth related ambitions.

His back was resting against the wall, and he felt perfectly at rest.

Together, they exhaled.

**.**

**.**

**CROSSROAD**

After they were dismissed from the disciplinary meeting, she would hardly speak to him. She shook off the hand that tried to latch onto hers, or any comforting word he might try to appease her with. She was angry, hurt, and needed to let off her steam. It was a heavy moment for him, as well, but he had always put Jessie first, unconsciously or otherwise. He was tucking away his own misgivings until he could be sure she was okay.

"This new training they suggested..." he began carefully, "I'm not sure I like the notion of it. Perhaps we should decline."

She laughed, a harsh sound.

"You would, James. Don't you see?"

"See what?"

"We need to grow the fuck up, that's what we need to do." Her voice cut across him and for a moment, just a tiny, inconsequential moment, he faltered. "Going on our fifth region... it's about time. The Boss wants and we must provide. If we do this extra training, it might finally bridge the gap. He seems... focused. Not that he isn't always, he's our _Boss_ , I don't go around saying he doesn't know how to handle his own affairs, but you know. I want to believe this new mission is _the_ mission."

"Jessie-"

"There _is_ no other option. We're ineffective. If we don't," she paused. "If we don't, I don't even know. I know no other life than this. You have something to go back to, if you wanted." Her eyes brimmed with genuine tears. She put her hand on his arm as if to cause him to share in her thoughts. "It isn't fair! It's been _so_ long, James, I don't know what else there is out there. This is what I wanted, and I can't - won't - give it up."

She had given him the best reason to change his mind - herself. He eyed her very seriously when he spoke.

"We'll do it, Jess. Unova is our time to shine."

This was one of those moments where she allowed him to embrace her without complaint, and so he did. They stood there for a moment, reeling in the wake of the ultimatum and alternatively declaring to make something of themselves. How many times had they been here? So many. But there was a common theme.

They'd get through it together.

**.**

**.**

**NOTION**

It wasn't that they had never considered making it a thing. No. That would be an incorrect statement of the facts.

There were times she saw him looking at her and she almost wanted to... try something. In her past incarnation as a young, foolish girl, she had had many loves, and equally as many loves lost. She preferred the romantic fantasies she created herself in her mind. She could pick them up and play with them like toys at will, whenever she needed to feel a little whimsical, and tuck them away when she did not require their diversion.

The hyperbole she employed on the rare occasions when she was driven into the enchanted state by other people's romantic revelations was proof enough. She had a heart, as complicated as it induitably was, and she could feel love. It was the giving it part that was more difficult.

As for him, he had his nature to thank. He was sort of man who kept away from the ledge. He smoothed over and avoided any confrontation he ever approached in his life, and this included her and her aura. She was a spitfire, all long legs and overbearing will. She was his partner in crime and also his worst contradiction. She was magnetic to him, and he had never felt that way about anyone before. Prior to this he'd even wondered if he ever would. For him it was more of the opposite - he could give love endlessly but it was hard to find it for himself.

They both were a little bit crooked, but somehow, they fit.

**.**

**.**

**SUPPLANTING**

You know, sometimes she really hated Pokémon. Specifically, his.

From day one, they had made themselves obnoxious. It didn't matter if one was talking of Victreebel, or Koffing, or even Cacnea, later. They were all annoying, and pitiful besides. They made James more pitiful than he already was on a regular basis.

All he wanted to do was supply them with affection, to cultivate them. They'd hug or play together whenever there were free moments, and the displays sickened her. She told herself it was entirely because of the weakness it portrayed. She blamed them, she truly did.

With her own few she enacted a different standard. She allowed them no more importance than she had to in her life. There was little room in her heart for anyone beside herself to begin with, and what little was left over was devoted already. In the beginning to her ambitions, in the middle to him, and recently, she had learned that she could reconcile both desires.

Even if he didn't share some of her philosophies on training, James did redeem himself in that they sought a common goal.

Maybe she could afford to let him play with his team, occasionally.

It did seem to motivate him, and of course, that's all she was ever concerned for.

**.**

**.**

**ANTIDOTE**

Somewhere along the road, a wind had blown in, and its direction had been change. 'Time to hang up the hat,' it said. 'You have better things to be doing.'

They had tasted success, at last. Perhaps that was enough for them, the perpetual flunkies, just a sample. If even for a breath, they had been glorious, talented, and efficient. They had made the Boss proud. Though the Unova scheme overall had been a failure, certain integral missions of theirs had been well-done. No more blundering, no more blasting off - they had been oddly, undeniably, professional.

They had woken up one day, and idea was upon them.

They had proven to themselves, even, that they could come out on top. When they examined the facts closer, for all the efforts the organization had put forth, the Team had only ever taken root in those old scions, Kanto and Johto. Home turf. It appeared the expansion of their enterprise was ill-fortuned, and that gave them the excuse to back out. They had tried, they had done their best and gained confidence. Time to hang up the hat now.

The spell was broken, and things were undeniably different now. He could finally find the right to tell her how she had always stolen his heart. She could even accept this confession, return it. Because now that it was apparent that they had never been just work colleagues, forced to be close for the sake of what they were doing, and the trust it took to pull it off. There wasn't that barrier any more. They could ride off into the sunset together, if they desired, and they fervently did.

From then on, they had better things to be doing.

**.**

**.**

**THE END.**


End file.
